17 Willowdale Centre, High Street, Wickford, Essex, SS12 0RA

change of use from E use class (charity shop) to a betting shop (sui generis use class) including alterations to shopfront

Authority: Basildon District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: retail · Change of use
Inspector: Bell-Williamson J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the vitality and viability of the primary shopping area in which the appeal property is located and on Wickford town centre as a whole

What decided it

The proposed largely inactive shopfront would materially and harmfully change the character and appearance of the prominent unit within the primary shopping area, and this harm outweighed the benefits of bringing the vacant unit back into use.

Framework references: 90

Plan policies cited: Policy BAS TC1, Policy BAS SH4, Policy BAS BE17

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